Muhammed Babaganaru, the new Head Coach of Akwa United, has attributed his team’s 0-1 home defeat to Doma United to sheer bad luck.
Babaganaru expressed disappointment that his players failed to capitalize on numerous goal-scoring opportunities, which ultimately led to their defeat.
Emmanuel Jesam’s 8th-minute goal secured all three points for Doma United, marking a double victory over Akwa United after their earlier win in the first leg.
In a post-match statement, Babaganaru lamented the unexpected outcome, stating, “The result of this match was not in our plans. We had hoped to build on our recent performance in Jos, but football can be unpredictable. It’s frustrating that despite creating numerous chances, we couldn’t find the back of the net. Our failure to convert those opportunities proved costly.”
He acknowledged the efforts of his players, noting their strong performance and abundance of chances created. However, he emphasised the need to be more clinical in front of goal in future matches. Reflecting on the match, Babaganaru speculated on whether his players may have been overconfident or underestimated their opponents.
“The boys played very well and created many chances, but we were unable to convert those chances and we got punished for those missed opportunities. I wouldn’t know if my players were overconfident or whether they underrated their opponents. Despite not winning this game, we have taken lots of positives from this game and I’m sure it will help us in the remaining matches of the season.”
Despite the setback, Babaganaru remains optimistic and believes that the lessons learned from this match will benefit the team in their upcoming fixtures.
Akwa United currently sits in 18th position on the league table with 31 points from 28 matches. Their next challenge will be an away fixture against Remo Stars in Ikenne on Matchday 29 this weekend.
